Skittles, who weighs 14 pounds, is taking part in the Weigh To Go program at Humane Society of Boulder Valley.

Don’t do it.

Don’t give your pet that extra slice of turkey.

You may think you’re showing Fido or Fluffy a little love by sharing the family holiday feast. But you may be loving them to death.

There’s an epidemic of tubby canines and felines in America.

A survey earlier this year by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention found that more than half of the dogs and cats in the U.S. are overweight or obese, according to a recent article in the Chicago Tribune.Read more…

Sometimes Frank falls and is unable to get up. In the past if Frank’s cell phone happened to land out of reach, he’s had to wait until his wife came home to help him up. Frank’s service dog was taught to retrieve the phone and give it to him so he can get help.

But, after being together for over a year, Frank’s service dog figured out another solution. The dog wedges himself between Frank and the floor to raise Frank’s torso and get him in a sitting or kneeling position. From there Frank is able to brace on his dog and a stable object to get off the floor.

After going to bed with the help of her aides, Nicole is by herself. Due to her mobility limitations she cannot move the covers on or off herself. She would often get hot or cold and not be able to do anything about it.

Her service dog can. The dog was taught to turn the ceiling fan on and off as well as pull the bed covers up or down, which makes for a much more pleasant night.Read more…

West Nile disease has been a crippling – and deadly – intruder in the lives of Americans.

So far this year, seven people in Colorado have become infected by the disease, according to state records. Luckily, no deaths have been reported as in years past when the number of cases were much higher.

Where did the West Nile virus come from and how did it spread? And what can it teach us about future diseases that hop oceans to torment us? New research in California has come up with some answers.

With permission, Fetch today excerpts portions of a story by Lisa M. Krieger of the San Jose Mercury News about the genesis of West Nile.

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Like any new immigrant, the deadly West Nile virus became American almost immediately after landing on our shores — altering itself to fit in and then infecting a popular backyard bird to secure a firm foothold in its new home.

That is the startling conclusion of a decade-long analysis by University of California at Santa Cruz biologist Marm Kilpatrick, who explored the ecology of the infectious disease.

“Just like other invasive species, the virus starts adapting to its new environment,” Kilpatrick said.

The West Nile virus has done so well because it took advantage of a species that thrives around people: the American Robin. One of our most familiar birds, its numbers have surged along with the popularity of lawns in homes, parks and schoolyards. Kilpatrick dubs them “super-spreaders.”

It is a cautionary tale. As the earth grows warmer, pathogens may find new hosts, aided by jet travel, global trade and immigration.

The West Nile virus was discovered in Uganda in 1937. In some parts of Africa, more than 80 percent of adults have been infected with the disease that can cause fever, diarrhea, body aches and vomiting. For reasons not well understood, many never become ill.

Shortly after arriving in New York in 1999, the virus started changing — evolving to become a new and distinct strain, the research shows. It likely smuggled itself into America within an infected mosquito on a trans-Atlantic airplane.

The original New York strain seemed to match a strain in Israel, suggesting Middle East origins. But now it’s different.

This new strain is transmitted more efficiently by local mosquitoes than the original strain.

Then, within merely four years, it landed on the West Coast. By 2005, the new strain had completely displaced the African strain.

More than 1.8 million people have since become infected in North America, with about 360,000
sicknesses and 1,308 deaths, according to Kilpatrick.

The outbreak also has meant the costly creation of a national blood donor screening system, as well as vaccine and drug development.

And although the virus can infect a wide range of animals, the robin seems to play the most major role in transmission. Crows, another habitué of our backyard, also can be disease carriers. Millions of birds have died from West Nile infection.

Understanding the spread of West Nile virus could help experts design strategies to prevent the spread of future foreign pathogens, Kilpatrick said. Rift Valley Fever and Japanese encephalitis already loom on the horizon.

The average American tends to be sanguine about the outbreak of exotic diseases in faraway places, perhaps because we trust oceans to separate us from much of the world.

But it worries the nation’s leading health officials.

Migrating birds sweep across North America, carrying disease with them. So medical and agricultural inspectors work around the clock to spot new threats.

“West Nile virus has provided a test of our ability to respond to such a spread,” said Sam Scheiner, director of the Evolution and Ecology of Infectious Diseases program at the National Science Foundation.

The University of California research provides knowledge “that can be applied to the next threat.”

The new conclusions, published in last week’s issue of the journal Science, summarize research from many different sources.

Kilpatrick and colleagues caught mosquitoes and then studied the blood found in their stomachs — identifying, through DNA sequencing, that it tended to belong to robins.

They also identified which type of mosquitoes are the key transmitters of infection. Here’s the good news: The species that usually bites us isn’t the culprit.

This helps explain why infection has stayed relatively limited.

“Instead, it’s the species that feed mostly on birds but occasionally feed on people,” he said.

If you’ve been bitten by a mosquito, how do you know whether it was the type that carries West Nile?

Unfortunately, because mosquitoes look so much alike — particularly after they’ve been squashed — the average person would have a tough time making an identification, he said.. . .

Nationally, the worst years were 2002 and 2003, which leads to this question: Will West Nile virus follow the boom-and-bust pattern seen in some other plant and animal invasions?

“It’s not known yet how much of the year-to-year variation can be explained by climatic conditions,” Kilpatrick said, “or other factors, such as acquired immunity in birds or human.”

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Animal tracks – Through December 31, VCA animal hospitals is offering a savings of $250 on Senior Best Care Comprehensive Checkups. This checkup includes CBC, profile/T4, urinalysis, heartworm test, 5 x radiograph and more. The discount is part of
national Adopt a Senior Pet Month observances.
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PET CALENDAR

November 13 – Voodoo Comedy Playhouse hosts the 4th annual “Comedy for Cats” – a comedy show for and about cats — to benefit The Feline Fix, a high-volume, low-cost spay/neuter clinic for feral, stray and tame cats. The event will be 3 to 5 p.m. at
Voodoo Comedy Playhouse, 1260 22nd Street (22nd and Larimer).Tickets are $16 in advance and $20 at the door with half of each ticket going to The Feline Fix. To pre-purchase tickets, or for more information, go to www.thefelinefix.org or call 303.202.3516.

Tank the English Bullodog as the "Runaway Bride" attends the 21st Annual Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade in New York on October 22. The parade of masquerading dogs is the largest Halloween Dog Parade in the U.S.

Thor was a bad, bad dog.

The 8-month-old Great Dane gobbled four 2-1/2 pound bags of Halloween candy while his owner was away.

Most of it was chocolate – the most poisonous to pets. According to the Pet Poison Helpline, many dogs are inherently attracted to the smell and taste of chocolate, making it a big threat.

Fortunately for Thor, the 95-pound mutt ate so much chocolate he – ugh – got rid of it. So he escaped his misdeed without going to the hospital.

With Halloween approaching, Thor’s experience is instructional. The Bloomfield, Minn-based Pet Poison Helpline, among other organizations, is getting the word out with tips for pet owners.Read more…

Fetch takes a topical look at a variety of issues affecting pets, including the latest research results.. It seeks to provide useful information for Colorado pet owners and to spotlight the work of Colorado animal welfare groups.